There was a stretch during the summer when the commitment of Mike Mitchell to Ohio State seemed imminent.

The coveted linebacker from Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, was coming off an astounding performance at The Opening, a national invitation-only camp for 150 elite prospects eligible for the 2013 recruiting class. He indicated that an announcement of his college choice would come before September, and most experts expected it to be Ohio State.

It didn’t happen.

“I think things have changed,” said Mike Farrell, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, which has Mitchell rated No.3 nationally among outside-linebacker prospects. “I think Ohio State still has a good chance, but the competition is Oklahoma and Texas A&M playing so well. It’s going to be difficult for the Buckeyes now, where I thought it was a slam dunk for them in the summer.”

Prestonwood was 7-0 going into this weekend and is considered one of the top teams in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, playing on a level about the equivalent of Division III in Ohio. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Mitchell, who was a standout in 2011 at larger public Plano West High School, has been terrorizing opposing offenses, averaging more than 20 tackles and a couple of sacks, said his coach, Chris Cunningham. And Mitchell usually plays just three quarters in lopsided wins. He also has a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

“Watch video of him; he catches your eye immediately with the intensity and the speed he plays with,” Cunningham said. “I think he would stand out like that for any size team in any game played here in the (Dallas-Fort Worth) metroplex area.”

Veteran Bucknuts recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic agreed. He pointed to the way Mitchell wowed onlookers with his performance in The Opening, where he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and had a 40-inch vertical leap, among other things.

Now look at Ohio State’s situation at linebacker. The corps has not played well this season, and three of the top four are seniors, if recently moved fullback Zach Boren is included. Sophomore Ryan Shazier is the returning veteran for next season.

Plus, the five linebackers signed with the 2012 recruiting have yet to prove capable of playing full time. And Curtis Grant, considered the No.2 overall prospect in the nation in 2011, has gone from starting at the beginning of the season to being mostly a special-teams performer.

Ohio State could sure use a plug-and-play freshman linebacker in 2013, and Kurelic said they remain in the running for several across the country.

Farrell said of Mitchell: “Physically, he’s ready to play right now. But again, Curtis Grant was ready to play physically.

“And one of the things Mike needs to work on is read-and-recognition. He’s not a naturally instinctive linebacker. He’s a physical freak, and a guy that I think can be coached up. But if you plug him in there, it’s kind of hit or miss whether he’s going to pick up the defense immediately.”

More important for Ohio State right now, Farrell said, is trying to secure an official visit from Mitchell.

“I think if he gets on campus, Urban Meyer can close him, because Urban Meyer can sell and close anybody,” Farrell said. “They need to get him up there on an official visit and close this thing down, because it’s gone a long time and kind of turned toward the favor of the local schools, and not necessarily because he wants to stay local, but because he has so much interaction with those guys because he is so close.”